Name: Kefta (Middle Eastern “Hamburger”)
Yield: Serves 6
Cuisine: Lebanon
Ingredients: 1 teaspoon (or to taste) salt; Olive oil for cooking kefta; 2 cloves garlic, finely minced; 2 tablespoons olive oil; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 medium onion, grated (about ¾ cup); ⅓ cup chopped fresh parsley; 2 teaspoons ground cumin; ½ cup fresh lemon juice; 6 pita breads; 2 pounds ground beef; Water to thin; 1½ cups chopped cucumber; ½ cup sesame tahini; ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper; 1½ cups chopped tomatoes

Preparation info

Serves
6

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

The Mediterranean Kitchen

By Joyce Goldstein

Published 1998

About

Years ago, when I was living in Berkeley, our family used to lunch regularly at a Lebanese restaurant not too far from our house. We became addicted to a few items on their menu: a great baba ghanouj with vegetables and pita bread, a really good lamb kabob with a fine pilaf enlivened with cinnamon and vermicelli, a crunchy falafel sandwich and, our favorite, the kefta. Alas, the rest of the community did not share our passion for this food (the restaurant was located too near